Overview
- Sérgio Antonio Lopes was detained in the cockpit at São Paulo’s Congonhas Airport before operating LATAM flight LA3900 to Rio, and he remains in custody on charges that include rape of a vulnerable person, sexual exploitation of minors and production of child sexual abuse material.
- The operation, launched in October 2025 and dubbed “Abróchense los cinturones,” executed eight warrants in São Paulo and Guararema with 32 officers and 14 patrols, seizing phones and digital files now undergoing forensic analysis.
- Investigators have identified at least ten victims mainly in São Paulo state, with reported ages between 11 and 15, and they warn the tally could rise as the probe continues.
- Police allege the network solicited images and videos from caregivers over WhatsApp in exchange for Pix transfers and other benefits such as rent, medications and appliances, and that minors were taken to motels using false IDs for in‑person abuse.
- Alongside Lopes, a 55-year-old woman accused of recruiting victims was arrested, a grandmother was temporarily detained for complicity, and a mother identified as Simone da Silva was held over storing and sharing illegal material; LATAM condemned the alleged crimes, opened an internal inquiry and said the flight continued with a replacement pilot.